PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO

PRESS CONFERENCE

November 18, 2024

JM: Kind of what I said last night, look, it's always disappointing to lose a game, especially here at home. I thought we did a lot of good things. I would also say we lacked execution in some of the critical times in the game that we really needed to convert, and that's what a good football team is. But the guys went out there and played with energy, they played hard and they played tough. I thought offensively, they did a pretty good job executing the game plan. Then special teams-wise, I would say there were things that we left out there on the field. Then defensively, obviously the receivers were a huge issue for us, and you never want to give up big plays. That play to [Cooper] Kupp definitely hurt us as far as momentum and things like that in the game. But look, we've got to go back to the drawing board. We have enough talent in that room, in the locker room to win football games, and I stand by that. I have to be better, the coaches have to be better and the players have to be better. But we have enough talent in there and looking forward to these guys changing the page and continuing to get better as we move forward.

Q: Jerod, you mentioned the Kupp touchdown. It's always easier to ask questions when you know the result of the play. At that point in the game, it's second-and-9. It looked like you guys sent seven rushers. I guess my thought, I wanted to ask you, how comfortable are you with that level of aggressiveness in the sense of, 'Hey, they made the play,' right? You've still got to make it. But at the same time, the risk-reward is what I'm asking.

JM: You hit it on the head, the risk-reward. We felt like that was a good time to call that blitz. We called it a couple times in the game. Sometimes it was a run play, and it gave us some movement up front. When that happened on that big play, it was just we didn't get there in time, and it was poor coverage on the outside.

Q: Then following up on your comment about just the critical situation sometimes coming through with the plays. The red-zone offense, I think you even made the point, you were 8-of-9 in red-zone offense prior to these last two games.

JM: That's right.

Q: It's tailed off a little bit. As you've looked at those situations, what is the common thread you're seeing there that has led to the decline there?

JM: I would just say overall, probably just a lack of execution. Even yesterday, you look at it, we're in a short yardage situation and didn't get a penalty. You have to move back or tackle for loss, and then things kind of change. But we just have to be better. We have to be better on protection. We've got to do – as the field starts to contract or shorten, I mean, look, there are other players in the box, and we've just got to be precise and execute.

Q: Jerod, I'm curious, a day later, any regrets? I know it's a situation that's ripe for second guessing, but any regrets about punting when you had a chance to kick maybe a longish field goal there to go up 10-0 early on?

JM: No, I don't want to use the word regrets, but, look, I've been very open. Being a first-year head coach, I'm learning as well, and it's a good experience. Like you said, hindsight is 20-20, but that was the decision I made during the game that I thought gave us the best chance to win the football game.

Q: Just kind of building on that, do you feel that as a coach, you want to establish an identity when it comes to those types of situations? Obviously, certain coaches, they're going to go for it on fourth down no matter what, or they're going to kick a field goal as opposed to punt. Do you feel like you need to have an overriding philosophy when it comes to that, or is it a case-by-case type situation?

JM: Yeah, in my opinion, it's a case-by-case, like how the game is going, what the flow of the game is like. Like I said, in the moment, I always feel like I'm making the right decision. It's very easy to look back and say, 'Well, I wish I would have done X, Y, and Z,' and that would be multiple situations. You can go back to the London game and then some of the same situations showed up yesterday. If you execute, we're not having this conversation. But as I sit here today, look, it's 100% on me, and I have to be better.

Q: The other thing you mentioned is that there's enough talent in the room to win games. Did you always believe that, or did the guys have to kind of show that through the course of the year? After the Jacksonville game, you've obviously been a much more competitive team, so did that question kind of get answered, or did you already know the answer to it?

JM: Yeah, I've always believed that we had talent in the room. I've always believed that we have tough, smart, dependable guys in the room, and I saw that in the weight room during the spring when that's where you really first see how tough your football team is. We've just got to continue to try to put those guys in a situation that they can be successful and win games.

Q: Mike [Reiss] was asking earlier about the aggressiveness that you guys showed on the full-out blitz, on the big play by Cooper Kupp. It does feel like some of the fourth-down decisions have been a little bit more conservative. Have you been mindfully going more risk-averse on those fourth-down decisions, or is that just the way that you felt in the moment?

JM: As I've said throughout the season, especially the last two weeks, I've alluded to the coordinators, the coaches, and myself, we've done a decent job, a good job of staying ahead of the game. Now, there are certain situations where alright, look, we're going for it right here, and then it's a tackle for a loss – and I'm not just talking about this game. I'm talking about just the season as a whole. There are situations where you have to be ready to change, and look, as I continue to evolve as a coach, as the players continue to grow and develop, we'll see what happens. But it is a case-by-case basis.

Q: I know you got a chance to watch the film by this point. What did you think of Christian Barmore's performance in his return?

JM: I would say first and foremost, it was just good to see him out there. There are definitely things we have to work on, and I would say the number one thing is just pad level. It was really his first time being in pads, and I look forward to seeing him continue to progress.

Q: Morning, Jerod. I was just curious. Kendrick Bourne went from having no snaps against the Bears to playing and got touchdown and all that. How did you see him respond after that adversity from the week before?

JM: Yeah, he responded great. I think he was our leading receiver yesterday, and just a guy that – it doesn't matter what position you're talking about. There's nothing more important than practice and going out there and performing at a high level of practice, which I would say he had a great week of practice, and it transferred to the game.

Q: Javon Baker, we were seeing him do some punt returns, but he had the fumble and then the hurdle play, and he was out after that. Was that in response to that, or just giving players their opportunity? What was the thought process there?

JM: You're talking about the kick returns, right?

Q: Yes, sorry.

JM: Yeah, no problem. So, on the kick returns, he was back there the first couple of snaps, and he didn't execute the way that we all had hoped he would. I know it was a big return. Even on that big return, it was one of those situations where, 'Is he coming out, is he not coming out?' and same thing with the second kickoff return.

Q: Hey, Jerod. With Kendrick Bourne and someone like Ja'Lynn Polk, for you as a coach, how difficult of a balance is it having the young kid in there because you need to develop him, but also taking a productive receiver like Kendrick off the field?

JM: Yeah, like I said earlier, Kendrick had a great game. [Ja'Lynn] Polk is developing, and he will be a good player in this league. As the head coach of this football team, we're trying to win right now, and whoever the hot hand happens to be in that situation will play more.

Q: Jerod, I'm piggybacking off of Doug's [Kyed] question from earlier. I'm curious to get your thoughts on how Yannick [Ngakoue] played in his debut for you guys yesterday?

JM: Yeah, he did some good things, I would say. He's a very smart individual. Look, we'll continue to load up his plate this weekend. I anticipate him playing more as we move forward.

Q: How significant, Jerod, did you see the illegal formation penalty that they called in terms of the way the game unfolded, and what is the coaching point there going forward?

JM: Are you talking about the [Vederian] Lowe?

Q: The Lowe – yeah.

JM: Yeah, look, the referees, they do a good job. They give you a warning before the game. They gave them two warnings during the game, and they called the third one. That's on us. I always say, look, 'We'll do business as business is being done,' and you've been warned multiple times. You've got to get on the ball. Look, I know it's oftentimes they throw the flag on a tackle, but I would also say the entire offensive line. If the guards are set too far back, then obviously the tackles will be back as well. If you ask those guys the same question, they'll give you the same answer.